"Tabito! To your left!" Riarshi screamed as a teal-colored arc sliced along the ground, sending a high-pitched screech through the air that pierced his ears. 

Tabito heeded Riarshi's warning. He shifted his weight to one foot and dashed to his right. His body went nearly horizontal, arms outstretched in front of him. 

The arc missed him by a few inches, dissolving into tiny fragments that twinkled in the hot afternoon sun. Dust that was belched from the attack placed Tabito out of sight behind a whirling cloud, leaving Riarshi to fend for himself until they could regroup.

Sparks surrounded Riarshi's feet, crackling against the abused grass of Practice field B. If he gained even the slightest improvement in speed from his magic, he could lend some help to Tabito in this two on two practical exam duel.

***

In the two weeks since their trip to Merino's, Tabito and Riarshi were teammates for each of their class assignments.

At first, Riarshi was hesitant about the partnership, believing his poor capabilities would hold Tabito back.

Tabito insisted on the team. "Think of it, fire and lightning. That could be the ultimate tag team!"

Riarshi acknowledged that referring to his magic as lightning was a bit of an overstatement, considering his sparks were never bigger than tiny, thin strands of blue light. After fighting through a variety of grueling and heart-racing tasks together, Riarshi came to understand there had to be something in the water that fueled Tabito with an odd type of social energy. Riarshi eventually fell to the pressure, and they formed their team.

It was on this beautiful and cloudless September afternoon that Khohn announced the second practical exam - a two on two duel.

Unfortunately for Tabito and Riarshi, this duel had shown their magic's incompatibility.

The sharp magic arcs were conjured from a girl named Salia, a tall, thin girl whose teal-colored eyes flickered with each attack like tiny jewels. The other opponent was Gomm, a buff and messy-haired boy who didn't speak much in class.

With spark enhanced senses at Riarshi's disposal, Tabito relied on his call-outs of the arcs' speed and direction. For the last five minutes, Riarshi and Tabito had been on the run, their eyes unblinking and their limbs aching with a burning fatigue. Dirt and sweat stained their clothing from the chewed up earth.

If any of these attacks from the other team hit, not only would it seriously injure them, but they'd surely fail the exam. Although they still had a decent amount of magic left, they couldn't run forever. Both Riarshi and Tabito knew they eventually had to go on the offensive. 

But each time Tabito attempted to attack with his own spells, Gomm would squat down, slap his hands on the ground, and summon an enormous dirt wall, blocking his advance.

They were pitted against two classmates whose teamwork appeared unbreakable.

***

Another arc attack fired at Riarshi. It split through the air with a sharp screech, picking up dirt and grass as it closed in on its target. The gusts of wind from the arc made the field's grass wave in violent bursts.

With microscopic sparks at his eyelids, Riarshi's eyes focused, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpricks.

Okay, this one isn't too hard to read. If I dodge it, I can hopefully run in myself and get Gomm to make a wall. That'll allow Tabito to burst in and get a shot on Salia.

Riarshi planted his foot and slid out of the arc's path. He shifted his footing and jolted his body toward Salia, trying to cross the field in as few strides as possible. 

Just as Riarshi predicted, Gomm activated a large magic wall, stopping him in his tracks about ten feet away from his attacker.

"Now Tabito!" Riarshi called, praying that his partner heard him from the depths of the dust cloud.

"Got it!" Tabito shouted from somewhere in the distance.

Tabito emerged from the cloud. His eyes flashed, and flames poured over his arms and shoulders in the same form he took during the Showing. He propelled himself toward the girl, leaving blistering lines of fire in his wake. 

As Tabito charged a flame powered punch, another arc attack crashed through Gomm's magic wall, screaming at Riarshi.

The loud screech of the arc alerted Riarshi, whose face dropped at the sight of the shining blade of magic cutting through the ground.

His muscles tensed, and he closed his eyes, accepting his fate. He could only pray that Tabito would land a shot on both of their opponents, even if he had to take the hit for it to happen.

Before the arc sliced into him, a blaze of orange flame erupted between him and the attack. The flames disbursed the arc, but the resulting shock wave of clashing teal and orange magic blew both Riarshi and Tabito across the field. 

Rolling, the coarse ground scratched their exposed limbs until they slid to a stop about thirty feet away from the blast epicenter. Dust flooded the air. 

A gust of wind revealed the two boys motionless at the far end of the field.

"The spar is complete!" Professor Khohn shouted from the sideline. "The winners are Gomm and Salia!" He raised his hand, signaling the students to power down. A gentle applause sounded. 

After a minute, Tabito and Riarshi sat themselves up and brushed the dust from their shoulders. With a glance, they assessed their injuries with careful eyes. Thankfully, only a few bleeding cuts and some bruises were noticeable along their arms and faces. There wasn't any significant damage a simple healing spell couldn't fix.

"Tabito, why did you stop that arc?" Riarshi asked after a while, running his hand through his dirt-crusted hair, confusion evident in his voice. "You had a straight path to Salia. You could have beaten her."

"Hey, if I didn't burn that arc away, you'd be in much worse shape than you are now. I was willing to take a beating if it meant you wouldn't have to be rushed to the infirmary." Tabito pushed himself off the ground, raised his head, and looked at Salia and Gomm. He rubbed his sore neck. "I know Professor said to fight to our max, but holy shit... they didn't hold back at all, eh?"

Riarshi climbed to his feet and instantly grabbed at his ribs. Each breath he took sent a quick jolt of pain through his chest. Despite his injuries, the agony of losing ached throughout his body even more.

"Do you... think we passed?" he managed to ask.

Tabito wiped a smear of dirt from his face. "Let's sure hope so... Oh, here comes Professor Khohn now," he stated, pointing into the distance at an approaching figure, "he'll let us know."

"You both all right?" Professor Khohn asked, walking over to check on them. "You boys need healing?"

"Nah, Professor Khohn, we're both good," reported Tabito, proudly showing off the reddened wounds on his forearm. "Just some minor scrapes. I think we'll live."

Professor Khohn glanced over to Riarshi, who returned the look with a nod. 

He lied. His ribs hurt pretty bad. Even though he probably needed to go to the nurse's office for whatever happened to his ribs, appearing fragile was the last thing he wanted, especially in front of these two. He knew they would heal soon, anyway.

The Professor looked over the two beaten students through his thick-lensed glasses, studying their dirt and stone riddled scrapes. He let out a sigh and placed his hands on his hips. 

"You both did well today. But you two need to choose your teammates more carefully."

Khohn adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Looks of confusion and concern were obvious on both Tabito and Riarshi's faces, so he elaborated in detail.

"Tabito, your power is very offensive-focused. Flames are amazing for attacking, given their destructive nature. However, they are practically transparent, and cannot truly take a pure physical form that can block attacks. You don't have a consistent way to defend yourself if you somehow leave an opening. I commend you on burning away Salia's arc, but look at your arm-" He pointed to Tabito's burned, glossy red forearm, "-your own spell backfired on you. Your flames don't burn you when they surround you in your cloak form, but once you unleash them, they take on another property which then makes you vulnerable to their heat."

Tabito's jaw dropped. It appeared that Khohn knew more about Tabito's magic than he did himself, fitting for a former Top Ten Hero.

Khohn then fixated his gaze upon Riarshi. "And you-"

"M-me?"

"Your magic... well, doesn't seem to have a specialty. Your sparks make your speed and reflexes somewhat faster by accelerating the rate at which your body sends impulses through your nervous system, but not by much... if I'm being honest. The magic you have in your body primarily remains in your legs, with only tiny spurts circulating to your central nervous system to improve your senses. But these sparks can't enhance any attack, nor are they helping much with defense. You've been forced to rely on dodging and running."

Riarshi deflated under the harsh critique of his magic. This felt more like a ruthless roast rather than useful feedback.

"Young Heroes perform missions in teams," said Khohn after a few seconds. "And the POH makes these teams perfectly balanced so they can assure the success of every mission. If they team up two attack specialists, how are they ever going to defend against enemy attacks? The same applies for defensive specialists. How are they ever going to attack?"

The two boys nodded their heads in unison. The initial confidence they held in their performance, despite their loss, had dissolved in only a manner of seconds. The smiles quickly faded from their faces.

Professor Khohn noticed. 

He sighed again and concluded his thoughts - first to Tabito. "Despite all of that... Tabito, your flame coat increases your attack power and provides a deterrent from close combat. There's no denying that. No one can come close to you without the risk of getting burned - and pretty severely at that. That itself is powerful and extremely useful in any kind of fight."

He turned to Riarshi. "And Riarshi, your spark magic has the potential to increase your strength, reflexes, and speed to massive heights. You just need to find a way to build its potency and distribute them to other parts of your body."

The tension on the professor's face faded, and the usual cheeky smile he wore in class beamed across his scruffy jaw. Khohn gave the boys an approving thumbs up. 

"Despite how the match ended, you both showed excellent communication and used your magical powers to help each other, rather than fight alone. That right there is the first key to success as a Hero. You both passed. You're free to go."

Tabito's face lit up, stretching with excitement. Fist pumping and performing some odd dance, he looked as though he might explode with glee. Riarshi, however, didn't share this same feeling, despite the superficial happiness he possessed from passing the exam.

Tabito, watching Riarshi's face intently, leaned in towards him and threw a hand on his shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. 

"Hey, don't get worked up over his feedback. It might have been harsh, but it'll help us improve. If all he did was speak on the things we did right, we would never evolve as Heroes. We still have time! It just means we both have to get stronger and make our magic mesh so we can easily pass the next assignment!"

Tabito's words fell on deaf ears. Riarshi, too absorbed in his own thoughts to process anything else, didn't reply. Professor Khohn didn't tell him anything he hadn't already known.

In the last three weeks, it didn't matter if he was overflowing with happiness or laughing with Tabito about a stupid joke. Every time Riarshi attempted to draw out more power from within, he saw the black wall of hands reaching - grabbing for him. It was as though something breathed down his neck, desperately wanting to seduce him - to stop him from running away - to have him give up and allow the darkness to take control. It was-

"Riarshi?" Tabito whispered.

Riarshi popped from his gloomy trance and smiled at Tabito. "Oh, yeah, definitely!"

***

The two teens walked to the white-chalked sideline and gathered their belongings piled on the ground. Once they packed their bags and slid their phones into their pockets, they strolled along the back side of the field. The next duel was about to begin, and the last thing they wanted was to strut through the middle of a battle. Their bodies were already beaten enough.

Since it was Friday, Tabito and Riarshi had planned during one of their academic classes to grab a bite to eat at Merino's after the exam, whether they passed or failed.

"Do you wanna wait for Hara? Her duel is next." Tabito asked Riarshi as they drifted along the path. Tabito pointed to the small girl standing in the middle of the field. Her midnight black hair flowed down her back, glimmering silver in the overhead sun peeking through the clouds.

A cold, unpleasant sensation flushed through Riarshi's innards. It was a combination of nausea, rage, and annoyance. Without hesitation, he shook his head. He didn't have the patience to handle Hara's attitude toward low magic users, having already dealt with her frosty glare twice that day. Once was in the hallway as they travelled between classes, the other when they split into groups for the exam.

She no longer ignored his existence, that was for sure. 

Tabito nodded, presumably understanding the unspoken words behind Riarshi's hesitance.

Passing by the duel, Riarshi's steps slowed to a halt as he watched the battle unfolded.

Hara's partner was a taller, brute of a girl named Helga. Short pink hair accompanied her masculine build and sun-kissed skin that gleamed in the slanted rays of sunlight.

Her booming voice matched her bold appearance as she yelled, "Listen here, Hara, you just sit your pretty little ass back and let me handle these two clowns. I'm stronger than both of them combined."

Helga punched her fist into her palm, and her eyes glowed a bright pink. The muscles covering her body bulged into rock-like boulders, forcing the veins under her skin to pop out like hills that ran along her arms and legs. Riarshi recognized this as her magic - a simple spell that increased her strength and speed with muscle enhancement.

Hara then did something that took Riarshi completely by surprise. She sighed and slowly stepped back, just as Helga ordered. He looked on with curiosity. 

Helga squatted into a lunge, readying to pounce at her victims. A few strands of pink hair veiled her face as she leaned forward. 

"Humph, that's what I thought."

With a powerful push, and a cloud of dirt, she launched herself at their opponents, punching and barreling through a cascade of spells. Her muscle-bound body reflected the beams of magic like a mirror.

She closed in on the opposition, planted her feet, then leapt into the air, clenching her hands together for a final plunge attack.

Right as Helga was about to land her finishing blow, a blue light enveloped the two opponents and crushed them into the ground. The flood of blue magic also smacked Helga into the grass below.

After a moment, the blue light faded from the field and Helga muscled herself to her feet. She gnashed her teeth together and spun her head around, only to find a pair of sapphire eyes shining in her direction.

"Dammit. You just had to take the glory, eh?" Helga snarled, her face caked in dirt.

The blinding light from the eyes faded. "You took too long to beat them, so I finished the job," Hara said coldly.

"The duel is over! The winners are Hara and Helga!" yelled Khohn with a raised hand.

Riarshi stood dumbfounded. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. She didn't even move an inch, and she still crushed those two people in the ground. How the hell did she do that?

"Her magic's pretty insane, eh?" a voice whispered next to Riarshi.

Riarshi snapped out of his trance. He suddenly realized he had stopped walking to watch the match. Turning his head, he saw Tabito with his arms crossed. His face was stone-like, without his usual smile.

"She's always tried to do everything by herself, ever since we were kids. And because of her insane magic, she's been able to," said Tabito, looking out over the field. "She never asks for help, even when she needs it. Won't accept it if offered, either. Trust me, I've tried. She's probably the most stubborn girl I know."

Riarshi returned his gaze to Hara, who was grabbing her things from the sideline after receiving her thumbs-up from Khohn. She didn't even look remotely happy with her victory. It was as though she expected it the entire time.

"Still, that's crazy. She didn't even move a muscle," said Riarshi, still amazed. "What even is her power?"

Tabito snickered. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" He gave a playful push to Riarshi's shoulder.

Riarshi caught his balance, stood straight, and chuckled. "Yeah, okay, Tabito. She'd probably crush me into the ground like those two-" he pointed to Hara's two opponents, who were slowly peeling themselves from the dirt, "-if I even tried to speak to her. Every time she comes to Merino's with us, she never says a word to me. All she does is glare at me and scroll through her phone." 

He readjusted his bag on his shoulder. "Come on. Let's go before she finds out we're leaving her behind."

Tabito took off down the path. "We'd better run. Otherwise we'll both get crushed."

Sparks danced around Riarshi's feet. "Let's pray I never have to be her practical partner. I'd rather break my leg."

The two boys hurried from the field and ran downtown, eager for a meal at their favorite diner.